OMG, I updated! WTF!
Chapter 10: The Current of Time
Swollen with the melting snow of the mountains, the swift river flowed steadily on before her. She sat on an old forgotten log, slumped over as she picked at the grass, seething.
Her jaw clenched with frustration as she ripped out a chunk of the sod absentmindedly. She noticed the hunk of grass in her tight fist, then quickly brushed it off, hoping the cotton kimono Yutarou had lent her hadn't gotten dirty.
Above her, the road was busy with the rushing commuters of the day. She listened to the sounds of their feet, and then felt another swell of anger within her.
What the hell was she doing here, anyway?
She doubted one person in a five mile radius, excluding Yutarou, could understand or listen to her. She was unfamiliar with the Japanese ways and foods, and yet here she was, sitting in the busiest city with her dwindling stash of money and no place to go.
And all for that ungrateful bastard.
She jumped up in anger, her body shaking, then promptly slammed her foot into the log, kicking it as hard as she possibly could.
It shuddered upwards slightly, but was unharmed in any other way. She, on the other hand, now had a throbbing foot to go along with her throbbing chest.
She cursed angrily, sitting herself down huffily once again as she attempted to ignore the proof of her stupidity, her foot numb and pulsing.
Why was she here?
She had been doing fine, hadn't she? Enishi had been part of her past, a piece of her life that she shared with no one. She had acquired a simple job managing a shop of a small family business, making a steady income and earning food and shelter for herself honorably, without selling her body.
It had all changed that day, when a man had walked in, rather drunk as he stumbled into the merchandise sloppily. She was trying to shove him out the door when he laughed and told her she should be happy as well.
One of the greatest crime organizations in Shanghai had fallen apart, all because the leader had been stupid enough to wander over to Japan and cause a commotion.
"It served the guy right, I'll tell you," he hiccupped, "What a freak he was, I knew he was a foreigner. No one in China would have crazy white hair like that."
There had been no doubt in her mind. He was talking about Enishi.
She felt helpless as she found herself amassing the money she had saved up and buying a ticket to Tokyo. It was as if she couldn't control what was happening, and all she could do was watch as her hands made the transactions and preparations.
A tear slipped from her eye, but she quickly brushed it off. She was so stupid for coming. The only thought that had been in her mind was to find him, but she hadn't thought about what would happen afterwards.
She was a fool; a stupid, stubborn, mindless fool. All she had been able to think about was his lips pressed against her forehead, and the touch of his body as it had warmed hers…
She sighed, reaching into the wide obi of her simple light-blue kimono, and pulling out one of the few possessions she had on her. She stared at the simple little comb in her palm, running her fingers over its soft lacquered surface. The golden flowers that had been delicately painted on were being worn off by use, but she still remembered how bright they had been that day she had pulled it out of the large trunk…
More tears welled in her eyes, and she buried her face in her crossed arms, crying softly and holding the small comb tightly as she whispered to herself, "What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do…?"
Past
He was awake, but he kept his eyes firmly shut as he listened closely to his surroundings. He did this every morning, and each new day he found that he could hear smaller and minute things more clearly.
It was another way he was prepping his body for the future encounter with the Battousai.
The huge stone wall outside couldn't keep the sounds of the busy Shanghai street from filtering into his ears, and he listened as rickshaws were pulled through the horde of people, merchants and farmers yelling out the prices of their goods as the crowd shuffled by.
As he pulled himself out of the street and into his room, listening to the soft ticking of a clock and the rustle of sheets, he noticed a sound that was unfamiliar to him. He had never heard this sound before, not like this…
He opened his eyes and turned his head to the left, and couldn't help feeling a jolt of surprise when he realized Mei-mei was sleeping soundly at his side. The sound of her breathing was soft and melodious as her heart kept a steady beat.
He stared in awe as he recalled what had happened the night before, studying her still figure that lay in his silk white sheets. Her hair was strewn around her body, contrasting sharply with the bleached fabric and her naked skin.
He knew he was probably as unclothed as she was as he pulled the blanket tighter around him. He stared up at the ceiling, his heart beating unusually fast as he recalled the touch of her skin against his, her soft hands caressing his body throughout the night…
"Your face is red," he heard her say quietly. He turned to look at her once more, and realized her unusual blue eyes were studying him with amusement. All he could do was put his hand over his face as he felt it burn even more.
When he finally composed himself he saw she was studying him silently, her finger scratching at the sheets absentmindedly as she grew visibly more and more perplexed.
They had slept with each other after they had made it painfully clear they couldn't stand each other.
He turned onto his side, so he was looking at her straight in the eyes as well.
"What happened?" she whispered, echoing his emotions. He stared at her, noting her quickening heartbeat, then placed his hand under her chin, stroking her skin quietly.
She let out a shaky breath of surprise at the show of affection, but made no move to stop him.
He didn't give a damn what had happened, he only knew that it had happened and he was surprisingly content with the outcome.
They continued to gaze into each other's faces as the morning slipped by, the sounds across the wall constant and undying like the forces of a river…
Present
He was vaguely aware of his surroundings as he dozed, slipping into the real and dream world interchangeably. A hint of his anger toward Mei-mei still bubbled in his half-baked dreams, and he frowned as he gripped the old diary more tightly.
His sister was talking to him, her mouth moving but her words oddly muffled, as if they were submerged in water. She wanted to tell him something, and kept trying to keep his attention, but he couldn't help drifting away and back again.
A chill ran down his spine, and he finally awoke from his restless sleep with a start.
"Ah, finally awake, master?" a voice said. He balled his hands into fists when he realized this wasn't Mei-mei's voice, even though it was in Chinese.
He looked up to see a young man, probably around his age, snacking on wagashi (Japanese sweets) as he studied Enishi with an interested expression, sitting across from him.
"Who are you?" Enishi asked, glaring at the man.
He grinned widely, "I'm really not gonna bother wasting time with you, Master Enishi." He popped the last of his sweets into his mouth and swallowed them nearly whole. "You and I are going to skip the formalities of introductions and I'll just say why I'm here."
He leaned forward on his haunches, the smiled pleasantly, "I'm from the syndicate." Enishi stiffened slightly, but made no other indication of his discomfort. "I'm sure you know nobody can just up and walk away from the Underworld like that." His eyes glinted as his smirk widened.
"It took me a very long time to find you, I hope you know," he continued. "I even had to go so far as to hire a woman to help me." He cocked his head at Enishi. "I'm sure you know who I'm talking about; she's been helping you for the past few weeks, hasn't she?"
Enishi's eyes widened as he realized he was talking about Mei-mei. "You hired her to come find me?"
"Of course!" he laughed. "No one had any idea what you had been planning, except for Heishin, of course, but he's in police custody now. You may not realize this, Master Enishi, but everyone knew you had grown attached to that woman, especially after she disappeared. I figured if there was anyone left in China who would know where to look, it would be her."
A deep disgust filled Enishi as he listened to the man's words, "How much did you pay her?"
"Enough, I'll tell you that much," he chuckled. He stopped, then turned to look at Enishi with one eye, smiling wickedly, "You didn't really think she came here for your sake, did you? I mean, honestly, Master Enishi, why would anyone want anything to do with a man like you!"
Enishi's eyes flashed, and the man noticed the warning within them. "Anyway," he coughed, "she'll be leaving soon. I'll be giving her the rest of her payment in a few days. Anyways, I just came to tell you one thing."
He smiled cattishly once again, "You either come back to our organization, or I kill you."
"You'll kill me?" Enishi echoed coldly. He smiled bitterly, "A useless weasel like you could never kill me."
The man returned the expression of hate, "You may be a tiger, Master Enishi, but you are clawless and toothless without your sword. Not only that, but you've been doing little more than sitting on your ass for the past few months. Even a weasel could rip your throat out in your current state."
Enishi's cold air quickly seethed with white hot anger. "You're pissing me off," he growled.
"Coming from a man who is wholly dependent on a little girl," he hissed, "that hardly manages to frighten me."
They glared at each other for a few tense seconds, then the man stood up, resuming his cheerful air.
"I'll be back tomorrow for your answer," he said as he walked away. Then he added, "Run if you want, it'll just make it more interesting to track you down."
Enishi's lip curled in distaste, not only at the assassin, but at Mei-mei, as well.
Past
Mei-mei smiled to herself in eagerness as she read quickly through her new book, being in the midst of the climax of the story. This was the third book she had read this month, and there were still many left to read, especially after Enishi had eagerly brought her more of them to entertain herself throughout the day.
While most men kept their lovers happy with dresses and jewelry, Enishi kept Mei-mei perfectly content with musty old books.
She shuddered with happiness when she realized just what Enishi had become: her lover. She had been with many men, it was true, and many of them had been willing to spend fortunes on her just to please her, but she had never had a lover.
Especially not one like Enishi
She looked up as the door opened, a soft breeze blowing her bangs into her vision before she realized Enishi was walking towards her. She was seated on a comfortable couch outside in the garden, reading in the soft summer afternoon and looking forward to his return.
He said nothing as she smiled at him, but eagerly settled himself in the couch with her. He draped his arm across her shoulder as she leaned against him, his cheek resting on the top of her head.
"Tired?" she asked as she kept reading.
"You would be too if you had to deal with buffoons all day," he muttered, closing his eyes. She couldn't see his expression, but she could picture his eyebrows knitting in frustration and the slight frown of his lips just by his voice. She smiled and continued reading.
She found him surprisingly affectionate now that they had come to a silent understanding. He was around more, instead of spending long hours into the night dealing with his subordinates, and it was no longer necessary for Mei-mei to ask for things because he usually brought them to her as gifts. Even his caustic attitude had been toned down; he was more patient with her and less quick to remark, taking a second to think about how to word his sentences before saying them. They were subtle changes, some that maybe he didn't even notice, but she appreciated them.
Even now he was content to lay with her in the lazy afternoon, watching her read as his mind drifted. He didn't talk much in the first place, and she was happy to let him rest in silence.
An hour later Mei-mei finally put down her book, her curiosity satiated now that she had reached the conclusion. She shifted slightly in his arms, then realized he had fallen asleep.
She smiled, taking his hand in her lap and closing her eyes as well.
Before she slipped out of consciousness, she made a small plea to let this happiness last forever…
-
"This really has to be one of the best so far," she explained happily. "I can read them over and over again and still be amused by the simple messages they have."
"Those have been around for a long time," he shrugged, "That's what makes the messages so accepted; they can be applied to anyone living anywhere. You're not the first to indulge them."
She watched him for a minute as he took apart his watou, taking care on placing the pieces nearby so they wouldn't get lost as he cleaned the sword.
"It's strange to think so many people have read these stories," she smiled. Then she sighed, "'Once upon a time…,' that's how a lot of them start out." She grinned. "Those are the first words I learned to read, remember?" He let a small smile appear on his face as he watched her contentment from the corner of his eye.
"I guess I'll have to bring you more books tomorrow, won't I?" he said, piecing his watou together once again, "This is starting to be a real pain."
She grinned mischievously as he wrapped his sword in a stiff cloth, "Then why don't you buy me more practical things, like expensive clothes and sweets?"
He arched an eyebrow at her as he set his sword aside, then stood up and sat down beside her on the floor.
"I could amuse you by playing drinking games," she continued, "And I'd run around prestigious circles bragging about how much you spoil me."
"They wouldn't let fat whores into prestigious circles," he smirked.
"Fat rich whores," she corrected with a grin. She scooted closer to him as he wrapped his arm around her waist and they leaned back against a pile of cushions she had created earlier that afternoon.
They sat in content silence as both of their minds wandered to different things. After a while, she turned to look at him.
"There is one story I'd like to hear," she said softly, "But I don't think anyone's written it down."
"Oh?" he said, arching his eyebrow once again with skepticism.
She nodded, thinking of how to phrase what she wanted to say, "It's the story of a man."
He looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
She began to feel nervous as she said, "He lived in Shanghai, in an elaborate mansion with many servants. He was actually one of the most powerful men in Shanghai. Still…" she settled herself against him once again, so they couldn't see each other's faces, "…there's a lot more to him than that, because he's on a quest to kill somebody who hurt him. I…I'd like to know why…"
Her palms began to sweat and she resisted the urge to fidget with nervousness. She was afraid he would get mad at her, that he would get up and lock himself in his room, and that she wouldn't see him the next morning, or the morning after, because he'd leave early and come back late, just like before…
She chewed on her lip, her fingertips tracing a pattern on the rug they were sitting on as minutes passed in silence. He was sitting rather rigidly next to her, but at least his arm was still around her waist, and he hadn't left. Still, she didn't dare look up and see his face.
Perhaps he'd just rather ignore the question. She was about to tell him she was just kidding, when he finally spoke up.
"I—I really loved my sister," he said in a quiet voice, one that seemed alien coming from him. "My mother died when I was too little to care, so she took care of me. She was—my whole world. My nee-san…"
His tone of voice was nostalgic and warm as he reminisced about his sister, but with the next sentence it took on a harder tone, "Everything was fine, until a man asked her to marry him. The fool then went off to war, and he was killed by an assassin, Hitokiri Battousai…"
-
Everything was silent as the moon shimmered through the window, casting a surreal glow on the room around her. She lay, unable to sleep, as thoughts continued to push out any desire to close her eyes.
Finally, she got up, the sheets around her rustling as she stepped out of bed. She tiptoed as quietly as she could out of her room, making her way to a shut door on the other side of the sitting room…
The door squeaked slightly as she pushed it open, and creaked once again as she pushed it closed behind her. She let out a silent breath, then made her way to the large bed in the middle of the room.
He was sleeping, his limbs sprawled out as he frowned in his dreams. He seemed rather fitful as she gazed at him quietly, feeling an unfamiliar sense of compassion towards him. An ironic sense of empathy.
She lay down beside him, resting her head right across his so she was looking into his face. She pushed a lock of florescent white hair out of the way as she stroked his cheek gently.
He was still frowning, but as she caressed him his expression finally softened. He inhaled sharply as his eyes opened drowsily. He stared at her, still half asleep, then pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her as he fell back into slumber.
She couldn't help smiling. Even sound asleep he still wanted to hold her.
She let her smile fall, her face saddening.
Tomoe, Hitokiri Battousai, Kiyosato, Himura Kenshin, Jinchuu…
Foreign words that had no meaning to her hours earlier now weighed heavily upon her.
He had spent hours talking as she listened, never interrupting, for once glad to sit in silence as she absorbed all he had told her.
He was a man, she was a woman. He was a powerful weapons dealer, and she was a lowly prostitute. His hair was vibrantly white, and hers a somber black.
Then why were they so alike…?
Present
She faced the entrance to Rakuninmura wearily, the black comb still in her hand as she commenced the nervous habit of chewing her lip.
She had dozed off by the river, and she had had the strangest dream.
A woman with dark hair had been crying for Enishi, telling her to forgive him, that he was still an easily wronged child in some ways. That he still needed her to guide him.
As Mei-mei reflected on it, she wondered vaguely why she felt she knew this woman, yet at the same time realized she was a total stranger.
Either way, Mei-mei took it as a sign. Dreams like that are never coincidences. She would still try to help Enishi in whatever way she could.
Mei-mei finally braced herself and trudged through the slums, weaving her way through the gritty neighborhood as she headed to where she had left Enishi.
When she arrived, she couldn't help stopping as her breath caught in her throat.
Enishi was sitting before her, as if waiting, and a look of intense loathing was on his face.
She frowned, then walked toward him.
"What the hell do you want?" he hissed venomously. Mei-mei was taken aback by his words, and she stopped once again.
She looked hurt, then said, "I'm sorry for looking through your book. I didn't mean any harm. I'm sorry."
Enishi didn't answer, but his expression didn't waver.
"What is it?" she asked, feeling uneasy.
"Why did you come back?" he asked, his voice deceptively calm.
She blinked with uncertainty, then replied simply, "I came back for you."
He slammed his fist into the wall behind him, then yelled, "Bullshit!" She jumped in shock. "I know why you're here, Mei-mei, you can stop acting like that now."
She took in a shaky breath, then released it slowly, trying to keep calm. "What the hell are you talking about?" she said, unable to keep her voice from shaking.
"I should've realized the truth," he continued, a bitter look on his face, "Why else would you come?" He shot up as he yelled angrily, "Don't you think it was bad enough for me without you dragging your filthy, lying, ass all the way here!"
"I'll ask again," she said, her fists shaking, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"STOP IT!" he roared, "I KNOW you're being paid, I KNOW who sent you and I KNOW you don't give a fuck what happens to me!" An eerie silence settled for a few seconds after the explosive screams.
He laughed hollowly, "You know, I thought it was bad at first, taking your pity, but then I thought I could just get over it and let you help me, but I didn't realize everything you did and everything you said was all so you could get your greedy paws on some gold!"
"Enishi!" she yelled, tears of hurt blurring her vision, "Who have you been talking to! Who has been telling you all these lies!"
He ran forward, and, before she could react, he had grabbed her by the front of her kimono.
"STOP LYING TO ME!" he screamed, shaking her furiously, "I UNDERSTAND, GOT IT! I KNOW WHY YOU'D RATHER HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH ME, SO JUST TELL ME AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FACE!" He pushed her away, and she fell to the ground, her head spinning with the force of his words and the force of his actions.
She stared at him, wide eyed and confused, as he turned around and angrily punched a hole through the already falling apart house behind him.
"Y-you…" she stuttered, getting up despite her dizziness, "Y-you really believe that, do you?" She couldn't help crying. God, she was so weak. "Y-you really think I-I would do s-something like that?"
He didn't answer or turn around, his forehead pressed against the wall and his arms covering his face.
"Enishi!" she yelled angrily, "Do you really think I'd do that! DO YOU! HOW LITTLE DO YOU SEE ME! WHAT KIND OF FEEBLE WOMAN HAS BEEN CARING FOR YOU FOR SO LONG!" He didn't answer, and she choked on her sobs.
"YOU BASTARD, I HATE MYSELF FOR EVEN CARING ABOUT YOU!" She pulled the comb out of her obi once again. "DAMN YOU, YOU FOOL!" She threw it at him blindly, and it struck the wall a foot away from his face as she turned and ran out of Rakuninmura.
He scratched at the wooden shingles with his fingers, trying to fight the tears and wishing with all his heart he had none…
Note: …………
Well now, this can't end well, can it? And there were so many touching moments in the past…
Hm, I'm not gonna say anything, but you should stick around and read the next chapter. Who knows, maybe there'll be more Enishi/Mei-mei fluff. I sure love writing fluff, especially with two characters I particularly like (heh).
I'm afraid a lot of my readers have left me because I took too long to update. I didn't get as many reviews as I usually do, and that made me sad. Really sad. Sad enough to whine to all of you.
So, if you don't want to hear me whine, could you please leave a review? Please? Perdy please? (there were a million question marks here, but quickedit took them out...) T.T
HEY LOOK, THE WEEKEND! Have fun, and peace OUT! XP